Title: Common Sense Techniques to Help Improve Speed of Fixed Route Buses
Abstract: This paper describes how the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) conducted a study in 2006-07 for a transit agency located in the western United States to determine the feasibility of establishing a Proof-of-Payment (POP) fare collection system for its entire bus service. The transit system operates a radial system with a pulse schedule that requires a very high percentage of passengers to transfer to complete their trips. Consequently, schedule adherence is vital to ensure that transfers between buses happen in accordance with the printed schedules, making the system reliable to its passengers and minimizing the amount of time it takes passengers to complete their trips. Missed connections can cause passenger delays of up to one hour, depending on the frequency of service on the route they are connecting with. The transit agency was interested in exploring the possibility of saving running time by using POP to help reduce dwell time at passenger stops. Under such a fare collection system, passengers who have already paid their fare and have evidence of that in the form of a pass or ticket can board the bus through any door without interacting with the farebox or the bus operator. This eliminates the bottleneck and time delay that occurs when all passengers are required to validate their fares with the operator at the front door entry before the bus proceeds on its route. Depending on the level of passenger entry activity, this can save a considerable amount of time for a bus as it completes its run.
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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